Toy element comprising a holder and a thin flexible material

ABSTRACT

A toy element having a thin, flexible material as well as a holder for it is provided. The toy element may be used in the construction of a doll house for which it constitutes a curtain and the suspension, in the form of a rod, for the curtain. An elongated cavity having a longitudinal slot through which the flexible material extends is provided in the holder. A locking part couples to the holder and secures the rod holding the curtain in position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a toy element comprising a thin, flexiblematerial and means for suspending it.

In connection with e.g. doll's houses it is known to use such deviceswhich, in this connection, can form window curtains or shower curtains,with associated suspension. These known devices may be formed by atraditionally suspended curtain rod, i.e. a rod suspended by e.g. asuspension fitting at each of its ends, with the associated curtain hungup on the curtain rod. An alternative solution is e.g. to secure thecurtain fabric directly to the wall of the doll's house by glueing orother known methods.

Since, as it well-known, toys are frequently subjected to rather roughhandling during play, these known devices frequently involve the problemeither that the thin, flexible material, which forms e.g. a curtain, caneasily be torn because of the manner in which it is secured to the toy,e.g. by glueing, stitching, etc. or that the suspension device, e.g. theabove-mentioned curtain rod with traditional fittings, is maderelatively fragile in order to have reasonably natural dimensions andcan therefore easily break.

The above-mentioned-problem also arises in other toy connections where athin, flexible material is to be suspended from or secured to astationary element.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a toy elementcomprising a thin, flexible material, such as a plastics sheet and woventextiles, as well as means for suspending it, so that tearing of thethin, flexible material as well as its suspension means is madedifficult, while making the toy element suitable to create the illusionof e.g. window curtains or shower curtains and the like, which meansi.a. that it must be possible to adapt the toy element in such a mannerthat the thin, flexible material can be moved on its suspension so as tohave a reasonable function e.g. as a curtain.

This object is achieved with a toy element in accordance with thepresent invention, since, when it is attempted to pull the thin,flexible material out of the longitudinal slot, said material acts onthe holding means enclosed in the longitudinal cavity so as to provide aclamping effect between the said holding means and the elongate cavityon both sides of the holding means, said thin, flexible material, whichencloses the holding means, being retained by clamping action on bothsides of the holding means. Since this clamping action is providedsolely by a pull in the thin, flexible material, there will be nopermanent clamping effect that may be destructive for the thin, flexiblematerial, and the thin, flexible material does not drop down when theclamping action ceases. In addition, it is possible to avoid discretefittings which are used e.g. in connection with suspension of curtainrods at its ends, since the suspension member may be constructed suchthat it can be secured to an underlying structure along its entirelength, without this reducing the possibility of moving the thin,flexible material on the suspension.

The invention additionally improves the protection against tearing ofthe thin, flexible material, since, when engaging the inner side of thecavity, the rod member locks the thin, flexible material in a continuousengagement with the inner side of the cavity.

The invention defines an expedient embodiment providing a specialstructure which is easy to mount and easy to manufacture, since thecavity and the longitudinal slots are not established until the mainelement and the locking parts are assembled, thereby making it simple toposition the thin, flexible material as well as the holding means priorto the assembling process.

The invention provides a considerably reduced friction between the thin,flexible material and the associated holder when the thin material ismoved in the holder.

Depending upon the use of the thin, flexible material, e.g. a windowcurtain, a shower curtain, the shape of the cavity and the slots may beadapted to the use, e.g. be rectilinear or curve-shaped.

Embodiments of the invention are also defined which make the inventionsuitable in connection with toy building sets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are described more fully below withreference to the drawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a toy element according to theinvention prior to assembly.

FIG. 2 shows the toy element of FIG. 1 in the assembled state, seenobliquely from below.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention in the assembledstate, seen from below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 thus shows a toy element according to the invention before theelement is finished. Most of the non-visible contours are shown indotted line. The element is formed by a main element 1, a locking part 2and a rod 3, on which two pieces of fabric, sheet or the like 7 aremounted. Such an element may e.g. be used as a curtain in a doll'shouse.

The main element 1 is open downwardly and is divided longitudinally bythe central wall 4 so as to form two downwardly open cavities. One ofthese cavities accommodates downwardly extending guide studs 5.

The locking part 2 is adapted to be positioned in the studded cavity ofthe main element, i.e. by sliding the locking part 2 into the mainelement 1 along the shown dash-and-dot lines. For this purpose thelocking part is provided with guide tubes 6 which are adapted to receivethe guide studs 5 in the main element 1 so that the main element 1 andthe locking part 2 are positioned with respect to each other. Variousassembling principles may be used depending upon whether it is desiredthat the element must be capable of being disassembled followingassembly; thus, the guide studs 5 and the guide tubes 6 may gluedtogether or be assembled in a simple frictional connection. In addition,the guide studs 5 and the guide tubes 6 may comprise snap-locking partswhich can engage each other, either reversibly or irreversibly.

Further, the locking part 2 is provided with a hook 8 to retain thecurtain rod 3 with respect to the locking element 2, said hook 8facilitating the mounting during the assembling process. Below thecurtain rod 3, the locking element 2 is provided with a wall 9 designedsuch that the wall 9, in combination with the central wall 4 in the mainelement defines a cavity following assembling of the element, in whichthe curtain rod 3 is positioned, as well as a slot 10, so that thecurtain extends from the cavity through the slot 10 and out of theelement. The slot 10 has a width which is smaller than the profile ofthe curtain rod 3, thereby ensuring that the curtain rod 3 cannot bepulled out of the element after this has been assembled.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the curtains 7 can be moved on thecurtain rod 3, which improves the play value of the element of course.To accommodate the curtains 7 when these are drawn aside, the width ofthe slot 10 is increased at its ends by the stepped formations 11.

At its ends and in the center, the curtain rod 3 is provided withthickenings 12a, 12b which, in addition to serving to fix the curtainfabric 7, also ensure that the curtain rod 3 is lifted away from theslot, thereby providing low friction when the curtains 7 are moved onthe curtain rod 3. The latter effect might also be obtained by providingthe wall 9 with supports. The central thickenings 12b, in combinationwith the hook 8, moreover serve to fix the curtain rod 3 in the lockingpart 2, which additionally facilitates the assembling process..

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the element after the assembling process. Thecurtains 7 hang out through the slot 10, which is defined by the mainelement 1 and its central wall 4 as well as the lower wall 9 of thelocking part 2. At the opposite side of the central wall 4, the mainelement 1 is open downwardly and provided with ribs 13 which serve tostiffen the central wall 4. Further, the central wall 4 and the ribs 13are adapted so as to frictionally engage protruding stud parts onanother element (not shown), so that the element may be incorporated ina toy building set, e.g. by mounting on a supporting structure.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention, in which themain element together with a locking part 2 defines a slot 10 shaped asa circular arc. This element may conceivably be used as a shower curtainin a doll's house, and the locking element is therefore provided with adummy 14 which simulates a shower head. The element is shown as analternative embodiment of the basic principle of the invention, and itis evident that this principle may be varied in a very large number ofdifferent embodiments, depending upon the use.

I claim:
 1. An element to be used as a toy, e.g. for dollhouses,comprising a holder (1, 2) and a thin, flexible material (7) as well ascoupling means for mounting the flexible material (7) in the holder (1,2), characterized in that the coupling means comprise an elongate cavityin the holder with a longitudinal slot (10), said cavity encasingflexible holding means (3) and that the flexible material (7) extendsthrough the slot (10) and includes portions disposed about the holdingmeans (3) in such a manner that the thin, flexible material can beslidably moved on the holding means, and wherein the width of the slotis less than the holding means cross-sectional dimension so that uponattempt to pull the thin, flexible material (7) out of the longitudinalslot, said material (7) acts on the holding means (3) to provide aclamping effect between the holding means (3) and the surfaces of saidelongate cavity adjacent said slot on both sides of the holding means(3).
 2. An element according to claim 1, characterized in that theholding means (3) are formed by a rod member, and that a casing isformed in the flexible material (7) to enclose the rod member (3).
 3. Anelement according to claim 1, characterized in that the holder is formedby a main element (1) and a locking part (2) for coupling to the mainelement (1) to define the cavity and the longitudinal slot (10).
 4. Anelement according to claim 2 characterized in that the rod member hastwo ends and in that supporting means (12a, 12b) are provided at leastat the two ends of the rod member (3), and that the supporting means(12a, 12b) are adapted to hold the rest of the rod member (3) withoutthe rod member making contact with the walls of the cavity.
 5. Anelement according to claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterized in that the slot(10) and the cavity are rectilinear.
 6. An element according to claims1, 2, 3 or 4 characterized in that the slot (10) and the cavity arecurve-shaped.
 7. An element according to claims 1, 2, 3 or 4characterized in that the holder is a separate element provided withcoupling means for coupling to complementary coupling means on asupporting structure.
 8. An element according to claim 7, characterizedin that the coupling means comprise coupling parts which are adapted toreceive coupling studs on the carrying structure.
 9. An elementaccording to claim 7, characterized in that the coupling means areadapted to be inserted into complementary guide parts on the carryingstructure.
 10. An element according to claim 9, characterized in that itcomprises snap parts adapted to engage complementary snap parts in thecarrying structure in the inserted position of the toy element.